It’s Time To Break Apart the Theatre Hierarchy
BIPOC to the front
The theatre and entertainment industry has come to a grinding halt with some 575,757,577,575 people currently out of work (no, that’s not a number I made up). Broadway is closed until at least 2021. Not only are we jobless and in financial trouble as individuals, so are our theatre institutions. Whether it’s the Richard Rogers Theatre in New York or Cygnet Theatre in San Diego, the future of our whole industry is on shaky ground and honestly, it’s terrifying. If you’re an artistic director or administrator I bet you’re finding yourself asking new questions every day about how you’ll handle this.
Let’s look at a fact: theatres will not be re-opening anytime soon. You have time on your hands and choices to make. As systems of oppression begin toppling around the country and the world, so too can the traditional structure of western theatre. What I’m proposing is about more than who “gets invited” to the table. I’m talking about getting rid of the table. A worldwide purge of every virus- namely the conjoined twins Capitalism and Racism (to steal a phrase from Ibram X. Kendi) is taking place. With our theatre doors closed, we have the opportunity to restructure everything and re-center the voices we have been complicit in silencing.
I don’t pretend to know everything about running a business or a theatre. But outside of being an actor, I’ve worked in the box office, as a House Manager, a producer, a writer, and an organizer. I’ve worked for seven different theatres in different roles for 12 years. I’ve been a part of these hierarchical systems in traditional theatres and a part of theatre communities that have different modes of function. Here’s what I’ve learned: there can be another way.
Theatre is inherently collaborative. So the first thing we need to do is remember that and create a space large enough that all voices can be heard. The world is big enough for all of us.
Lean into the community
Let’s define community, shall we? Before you go to your theatre staff and artists you work with over and over again and call that your community, let’s broaden it ok? The city you live in and all the people in it. That is your community. It contains multitudes, many sub-communities. How can we include more people? How can we not just invite others in, but hand over the power, the microphone, the stage, to them? We’re talking about your geographical community, the homeless community, veterans, BIPOC, students, young people, old people, LGBTQIA+, activists, women, THERE ARE SO MANY. A great place to start is your geographical community. Art becomes richer the more diverse the group is.
Do you know how many times I meet someone who says “You’re an actor! Wow, I did theatre in high school it was so much fun, I wanted to pursue it, but then ya know… I don’t know..” they trail off. PEOPLE WANT TO DO THEATRE, BUT NO ONE HAS ASKED THEM. Are you afraid to put on a play where half the cast are *gasp* non-actors? Cornerstone Theatre in Los Angeles has famously put on seasons and seasons of plays where the cast make up is just that. A handful of professional actors, the rest of the cast made up of real people from whichever community they are exploring in the play (vets, olds, first-generation immigrants, etc). It’s possible. It’s even, dare I say, Good Theatre.
Go to your community to find out what they would like to see or be a part of. Expand that circle so you can be more inclusive. Instead of a pyramid structure, make circles. It’s good for the community and bonus, it’s good for your bottom line as well. Even if you don’t discover a brilliant actor, designer, or producer hidden in the dark (which you probably will), you may make some loyal audience members who will keep coming back because they felt included and validated by their local theatre.
Expand the questions- don’t limit it to just your traditional idea of plays and scripts. You might be surprised what the community would like to see and do and it’s probably true that no one has asked them. How can theatres be a part of the Black Lives Matter movement? How can arts education inform the work of activists? Going to the community for questions and insights and answers and new ideas is a two-fold process. You hand over your power and privilege while simultaneously take coming up with all the answers off your plate.
Local BIPOC & Youth Playwrights
Work with local playwrights, especially young people, especially people of color. Like, please, for the love of Goddess. Recognize the power and privilege that you hold. I’m assuming you’ve got some staff with extra time on their hands who can read 20 plays. Yes, let’s assume that. This is a time to imagine new forms, of putting up plays, of creating seasons, of working with artists, of breaking down the hierarchy of administrators and artists and technicians. Who do we always get to hear from? Who is being left out of the conversation? Who is not even in the room? These are the questions we need to constantly ask ourselves. Maybe the only opportunity you can offer at this time is just to workshop. Choose a couple of promising scripts, give them a director and a few actors to work together (safely, of course). Can you pair up a young aspiring playwright with a more experienced one? What if that was all you did? Set up a mentor program and they can be in touch via video call. What an opportunity. A real-world workshop experience they can put on their resume. A mentor that can help them through the early stages of their career. And again, it’s a win-win, they get something valuable out of it, and you expand your circle to a wider pool of talent.
Outside of local playwrights, you need to be producing a plethora of plays from BIPOC writers. Those who are alive and well today who could really use your support. Look, A Raisin In The Sun is an epically crucial play that is important, but Lorraine Hansberry is not the only Black voice in American theatre. How about producing a play from a playwright whose career you could bolster? Doesn’t that make a hell of a lot more sense in these trying times for artists? It’s an easy move that would make a big difference.
Re-imagine Theatre Forms
If theatre isn’t a place for imagination, then what is it? This is prime time to re-imagine how you work and function as a company. Administrator, artists, playwrights, technicians, everything. Break down those barriers and widen the pool of talent. Open up conversations to the people who work for you, and make it a safe space to do so. Reach out to the community. What an opportunity we have in a time like this. We have the space and freedom to re-imagine all of it.
But let’s also re-imagine what going to the theatre can look like for our patrons. I’m telling you right now, I would kill to be able to buy a ticket to a socially distanced Shakespeare-In-the-Park situation. Much more so than any Zoom play. I’ll be honest, I have not watched one Zoom performance since this whole thing started and it would take major convincing for me to do it now. Or a really good friend would have to be in it and then I would do it because I’m a nice person.
Imagine this: socially distanced theatre seats, in pairs, on the grass (you saw the Dave Chappelle special 8:46, right?). Guests wear masks at least until they get to their seats. Studies show that being outdoors makes a big difference in the likelihood of spreading the disease, there have been no coronavirus spikes in cities where there were protests, only cities that re-opened early. And it’s largely due to being in open spaces, with masks
Honestly, if the show was a Shakespeare comedy and the actors had about a week of rehearsal and had their scripts in hands -I would watch that. Moreover, I would PAY to watch that. Watching GOOD professional comedic actors perform Shakespeare, even with little rehearsal, is incredible. You’re getting to watch masters of the craft do their thing. This could work. There are many variations on this that could work. AND bring in money. You could employ people, keep artistry alive, open up to your community, and be safe all at the same time. A motivated high school student could put something like this together. Imagine what a theatre company with some infrastructure could do. Be bold. Think outside the box. This is a creative field and my gut feeling is telling me there aren’t enough theatres willing to utilize their creativity in imagining new forms.
We should not be rushing to re-open and to “normalcy” for the sake of our bottom line. But rather we should be taking this opportunity to say, was normal even that great? Who was consistently being left out of the conversation, out of the room when it came to running our theatres, in deciding which plays we would put up, who gets paid and how much? How much do wealthy donors get to dictate what goes on inside these walls?
These are just ideas to get you going. There are myriad ways we can re-think and re-imagine American theatre, these are just some of them. Mostly what I’m asking you to do is to be brave. I implore you to de-center yourself and analyze every part of how the system functions. Be brave and bold and do what’s uncomfortable. Otherwise, what are we doing this for? WHO are we doing this for? Is it to stroke our own egos and tell the same stories over and over? Or are we here to learn, to educate, to grow, to empathize, to get out of our comfort zones, to be changed? My suspicion is it’s the latter.
It is my suspicion, or maybe it’s deep intuition, that what is happening right now in the world is not a “bad year,” but rather the very beginning of a new way of life. It may start with race and police brutality, but once one system topples, the rest will go with it. Capitalistic structures that place few people in positions of power are of the past. How will we, as theatre artists, find our place in the future?
As you take the time to re-think your structures, please also have a look at weseeyouwat.com and their list of demands to American theatres. There are many voices, and they need to be heard, recognized, and honored. (The author is not affiliated with We See You White American Theatre).